Title page for ETD etd-06232009-063244

Movements and home range size of bald eagles from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska: with an analysis of satellite telemetry

Degree

Master of Science

Department

Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name

Title

Vaughan, Michael R.

Committee Chair

Fraser, James D.

Committee Member

Fuller, Mark R.

Committee Member

Stauffer, Dean F.

Committee Member

Keywords

Bald eagle

Date of Defense

1994-05-15

Availability

restricted

Abstract

During 1991-1993, I studied movements of 23 adult and 7, 8-10 week old nestling bald
eagles captured in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska. I estimated locations by
homing and satellite telemetry. During the breeding season, the distances adult eagles moved
from successful, unsuccessful, and mixed-success nests were not significantly different (£ =
0.148). Regardless of nest success, the proportion of adult eagle locations within 750 m of
their nest were not significantly different during the breeding season (£ = 0.152) and between
the breeding and non-breeding seasons (£ = 0.075). On average, bald eagles were perched
91 % of the time; and perching was the most frequently observed activity (£ < 0.001). Adult
eagles perched more often in conifers than cottonwoods, snags, or intertidal debris (£ <
0.001). Perch types selected (£ = 0.473), as well as eagle activity (£ = 0.126) were not
significantly different during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Fifty-eight percent of
radio-ma~ked adult eagles used 3 watersheds in Glacier Bay from August through January
1991-1993. Six adult (26%) and 6 (86%) fledgling eagles moved out of Glacier Bay during
the non-breeding season. Four adult eagles (17%) traveled to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
in late November and December (mean distance from nest to preserve = 74 km) and 57% of
the fledgling eagles were on the Chilkat River in October, where they remained for 2-12 weeks. After leaving the Chilkat River, all fledgling eagles traveled in a southeasterly
direction; one male fledgling traveled 435 km in 28 days to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.